Introduction: Nursing is a skill-based discipline. The effectiveness of online learning
methodologies has not been well examined prior to adoption at many institutions. The sudden
transition of physical classes into online classes may have an impact on nursing students’ usual
learning process. To get a better understanding of how these learning technologies impact
students’ learning, it is essential to assess the students’ perceptions and barriers towards
effective online learning for nursing education.
Objective: To determine the undergraduate nursing students’ perception and barriers towards
online learning studying in a state university, Sri Lanka
Methods: The study was conducted as a quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional study using
researcher-developed validated Google form circulated via social media and email groups. One
hundred seventeen (117) nursing undergraduates registered for all academic years at the
University of Peradeniya participated in the study. Data were analyzed for percentages,
frequencies and associations.
Results: Among total participants 30.8% were males. The number of students in 1st, 2nd, 3rd,
and 4th years was 45, 36, 16 and 20 respectively. Students who had a positive perception
(52.13%) towards online learning seemed to accept and adapt to online learning. The majority
were perceived lack of motivation in online classes (53.8%), lack of interaction with the
lecturer (54.7%), and lack of peer interaction (55.6%). The majority of participants (51.3%)
preferred physical classes over online classes. A significant association was not identified with
gender, year of study, and monthly income of the family. Of the total participants, 62.4% were
disagreed with conducting exams online. Troubles with the internet connection (79.5%),
computer literacy (63.2%), physical discomforts (59.8%), and getting distracted (51.3%) were
the major drawbacks reported.
Conclusions: Even though students were faced with several issues, the perception of online
learning was relatively good. However, there should be frequent assessments to evaluate
adoption levels among students to online nursing education.
Introduction: Nursing is a skill-based discipline. The effectiveness of online learning
methodologies has not been well examined prior to adoption at many institutions. The sudden
transition of physical classes into online classes may have an impact on nursing students’ usual
learning process. To get a better understanding of how these learning technologies impact
students’ learning, it is essential to assess the students’ perceptions and barriers towards
effective online learning for nursing education.
Objective: To determine the undergraduate nursing students’ perception and barriers towards
online learning studying in a state university, Sri Lanka
Methods: The study was conducted as a quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional study using
researcher-developed validated Google form circulated via social media and email groups. One
hundred seventeen (117) nursing undergraduates registered for all academic years at the
University of Peradeniya participated in the study. Data were analyzed for percentages,
frequencies and associations.
Results: Among total participants 30.8% were males. The number of students in 1st, 2nd, 3rd,
and 4th years was 45, 36, 16 and 20 respectively. Students who had a positive perception
(52.13%) towards online learning seemed to accept and adapt to online learning. The majority
were perceived lack of motivation in online classes (53.8%), lack of interaction with the
lecturer (54.7%), and lack of peer interaction (55.6%). The majority of participants (51.3%)
preferred physical classes over online classes. A significant association was not identified with
gender, year of study, and monthly income of the family. Of the total participants, 62.4% were
disagreed with conducting exams online. Troubles with the internet connection (79.5%),
computer literacy (63.2%), physical discomforts (59.8%), and getting distracted (51.3%) were
the major drawbacks reported.
Conclusions: Even though students were faced with several issues, the perception of online
learning was relatively good. However, there should be frequent assessments to evaluate
adoption levels among students to online nursing education.
